Elena Rybakina Defeats Sabalenka to Win Historic £4 Million Reward
Rybakina earned her 45th hard court win of 2025
Elena Rybakina won the biggest payday in women's tennis history by beating top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in two sets at the WTA Finals.
Rybakina produced a brilliant display to overcome four-times major champion Sabalenka 6-3 7-6 (7-0) in the host country.
Since both players advanced through the competition without a loss, the purse on offer was a unprecedented £3.98 million – the biggest prize awarded in women's tennis the sport's history.
This amount tops the £3.74m Sabalenka won for winning September's New York major, which was the highest-paying major tournament in 2025.
"This has been an fantastic tournament," stated the Kazakh player.
"Truly didn't expect any result so to reach the final was just unbelievable."
"I want to say praise to Aryna for holding the top spot for a second consecutive year in a row, it's an tremendous achievement."
The champion, who was the sixth-ranked player, hit 16 winning shots during a impressive opening set performance.
The 2022 Wimbledon winner fended off two break points before winning all four points in the sixth game of the set to go a break up and served out to win the opening set.
As the second set progressed, Sabalenka defended two break points at 4-4 to shift the balance in her favor.
But, having worked so hard to upset Rybakina's rhythm, Sabalenka failed to capitalize by squandering a pair of chances in the next game to tie the second set at five-all.
Sabalenka's failure to force a decider affected her tiebreak play, with the Kazakh winning every point to claim the championship.
This win, her sixth triumph over her rival, means she will move up one spot in the rankings to fifth in the world.
An emotional Sabalenka appeared to be in tears as she met with her coaching team soon after the match.
"That was not the finest display from me in this match but Elena you were definitely the superior competitor," the Belarusian addressed the audience.
"You really smashed me out of the court. I'm pleased to see you play your best tennis. Celebrate this stunning title."
